Being Maria

Maria Schneider (Anamaria Vartolomei, Happening) is a promising young French actress. When she gets the lead in a feature film directed by an acclaimed Italian filmmaker and starring one of America’s most beloved actors, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. Her collaborators, director Bernardo Bertolucci and star Marlon Brando (Matt Dillon) seem to be bringing out the best in Maria, sharing a warm rapport and mentorship with the 19-year old girl. Until one day, when the men conspire to shoot a crucial sex scene as a harrowing assault without letting Maria in on the plan. The film goes on to be lauded as a fearless artistic breakthrough, but for Maria, it’s the beginning of a living hell. Based on the behind-the-scenes true story of the making of Last Tango in Paris, Jessica Palud’s sensitive biopic centers Maria’s story for the first time.

"[Vartolomei] really is stunning here, gaining our sympathy for the ringer Maria was put through... [makes] her life more relevant than ever." —DEADLINE

"Vartolomei never allows her portrayal to become one-dimensional, conveying a mixture of rage, pain and sorrow… The film advocates for Schneider, taking the spotlight away from Tango’s male artists and deservedly repositioning it on the woman who has too long been overlooked.” —SCREEN INTERNATIONAL

“Jessica Palud’s biopic manages to achieve the impossible: reclaim her power for her.... Anamaria Vartolomei is perfectly cast." —ION CINEMA